Strange question

Hi 

I was given a bottle which held the correct amount, which was roughly 3 cups of the white plastic ones you get at standard water machines.

I was told to empty my bladder then start drinking 45 minutes before treatment time. To drink the amount in 15 minutes so it had half an hour to get into my bladder. 

That's all fine if you're treatment is on time and I often have to let a bit out if the fullness gets too uncomfortable. They told me the other day that you just need to be comfortably full. After a few days you get into routine of what that means for your bladder.

Deb x 

Hi Deb1E

This was a frustration for me as I never really mastered the water thing. There were many times I had to get off the rad machine as my bladder was either too empty/full. 

I was given exactly the same advise as the other Deb, but appointment delays, hot weather, sickness would always unbalance things. Many of my appointments ended up being a lot longer than they should have been. 

Towards the end of treatment I had a bit more success. Most of my appts in my last week were 11ish so I’d drink a good litre before I got to hospital, go to the loo, then do an extra 500ml 45 mins before. I found that if I needed the loo after this (and there’s no way I could stop the flow once I’d started!) there would still be enough left in my bladder for my scan. It seemed to work for my last week and I had a laugh with the rad staff who cheered every time I got it right. 

At my end of treatment meeting, the rad staff told me that I must have been particularly hydrated at the time of my planning scan, which meant that the bar was set too high for my future appointments. 

It sounds like your planning scan has been managed better so hopefully you won’t have the same problems as I had. 

Its a common occurrence though, the staff are used to it. I used to apologise all the time but they told me I was far better than the old men who only drank tea!

All the best for your treatment.

Sarah x

Hi Deb1E,

I was diagnosed February 2018 with SCC AC T1N0M0 & am also involved in the Plato Trial. The breach you describe I would have thought will be connected to 1 of 3 things, it’ll probably either mean that your treatment has to begin within a certain time after your planning scans, if I remember rightly my treatment began 2 weeks following my planning scans or you’ve waited longer than the national guidelines dictate to begin treatment for your cancer following diagnosis or it could be to do with the information collected on you to enter into the trial. I know when I entered into the Plato Trial I was given a couple of extra tests, ECG etc., maybe they have to be done within a certain timeframe prior to treatment starting? 

Regarding the water intake before your radiotherapy sessions, like Deb I was advised to be at my appointments 45 mins in advance, I was told to have a wee as soon as I arrived then that was giving me 15 mins to drink 3 of the small plastic white cups from the hospital & 30 mins to allow my bladder to fill, this was the same for me on each of the 23 sessions, I was lucky that my appointments ran perfectly on time throughout so I was never left hopping around needing the loo although from week 2/3 I suffered radiation cystitis which made everything a bit uncomfortable! 

Nicola 

There is something else here that a newbie like me has to attend to.

Balancing water intake with a "comfortably full" bladder sounds like fun.

I can't take any cranberry products (which are good for cystitis) while I'm taking Warfarin. But the Capecitabine is going to interfere with the Warfarin anyway, so I'm going to to self-inject another anticoagulant while I'm on chemo!

Hi Deb,

I’m on a 28 day radiotherapy program but I am following the same routine.

I drink a pint of water in the morning with my breakfast and pills then follow the wee/3 cups/ 45 mins routine. Seems to be working so far.

I found out that being well hydrated makes everything easier, including blood tests and cannula insertion.

xx

Hi

Thanks for this.

it seems that I should have technically started on 12th August but chemo could fit me in but radiotherapy couldn't.  So starting on 27th but have my "timetable" now and all my radiotherapy appointments seem to be between 10.30 and 12 so going to try the pint of water with breakfast and tablets and see where we go - a bit of trial and error I think but want to get it right asap as I heard the radiographer apologise to the next patient for the lengthy delay...

Debbie

Hi Deb1E,

Good to hear you have a definite start date & your timetable too! As I’ve mentioned before I’m part of the Plato Trial also, during my treatment I took my chemo tablets as instructed but was told to arrive to radiotherapy appointments in time to drink 3 cups of water half an hour prior to my treatment & that continued throughout, Don’t worry about it too much I’m sure your team will fine tune things if necessary & as long as you follow their direction you’ll be fine I’m sure. 

Nicola